Forecasts call for severe storms today

Tornadic activity possible

Severe weather and tornadic activity are possible today across the Texas Panhandle, said Jason Jordan, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Amarillo.

"(Saturday) it continues to look like we're going to have severe thunderstorms," Jordan said Friday.

Jordan said the wind profile and moisture content shown by computer models indicate the possibility of super cells, which can produce hail, winds, heavy rain and damaging tornadoes.

"Typically with these storms winds could range from 60 to 80 mph and the hail could be up to baseball size," Jordan said. "Right now, our thinking is the storms will start to develop between 1 and 4 p.m."

The greatest chance for severe weather is from 3 p.m. to past midnight, Jordan said. The storms probably will form over the Texas/New Mexico state line, he said.

"The storms will move east from there across Texas Panhandle," Jordan said.

About 1 inch of rain will be normal with most of the storms, Jordan said, but isolated areas will have higher amounts.

"Areas could see upwards of 2 to 3 inches across the eastern Panhandle," Jordan said. "Any folks that are outside during the day, keep an eye on the weather to keep tabs on what happens. These storms will develop rapidly."